Page 29 of Sight of Fate

“Good. Make sure you tell her.” He takes a swig from the flask. “She’s scared.”

She didn’t feel scared a moment ago. When I raise an eyebrow, he motions to her apartment. “She left the light above the stove on. And before you got here, she got up and checked the lock on the front door. My guess is she’s sleeping on the couch every night.” His low tone is full of concern.

“No,” I admit hoarsely, my voice almost locking up at the thought of her scared and alone. Sound disappears, and my vision narrows to the blond braids peeking out from the fluffy cocoon around her.

As I watch, I fill Macklin in on what happened this afternoon. “I think Greystone gives her something she’s never had before…freedom. To be who and what she is. Unlike the human world.” I reach for the flask and drink as I remember the stark fear that stabbed me like a knife.

“Someone hurt her. Bad,” I murmur. “She has flashbacks, like Andros.”

The memory of Andros huddled in the corner of the church, hands over his head, pleading for the abuse to stop, slips into my mind.

Macklin’s broad shoulders dip a little, remembering how useless we felt. “You know how long it took him to trust us and to wake without nightmares.”

“I remember,” I assure him. “I’m not rushing her. Although I almost lost it today when I found out she went back to the Wolf’s Den. Not only because she didn’t take one of us with her.” I grind my teeth at the thought of her walking into a room of pissed-off wolves. “For the first time in my life, I was jealous.” Fucking alpha asshole.

He chuckles. “How did she take it?”

My lips curl in a derisive smile. “Based on the bewildered expression on her face, I don’t think she realized I was jealous.”

Macklin looks thoughtful for a moment. “She’s always tugging on her clothes. Stealing wistful glances at the people around her. I don’t think she knows she’s beautiful.”

“Somebody’s observant,” I remark, his words hitting me in the gut.

Why didn’t I notice these things?

His shoulder lifts. “I don’t have a bond tugging at me every second, driving me crazy.” He turns to me. “I’m going to upgrade our building’s security to make her feel a little safer.”

I nod. “Her background check came back. Charli Ford doesn’t exist.”

His shoulder lifts in a lazy shrug. “Run her fingerprints.”

“Probably should have started with that first,” I admit. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

My wings unfurl, and I watch as he stiffens. Guilt slams into me, but I know he’d be pissed if I took the stairs with him. He takes a swig from the flask, and with one last glance at Charli, he disappears into the building.

She opens the door to her apartment, and I smile and hand her the cup in my hand. “Campfire mocha, correct? Two percent milk, a shot each of hazelnut and mocha syrups, topped with marshmallow cold foam.”

Her light green eyes flare with shock, then her lips curve in a shy smile. “Nobody’s ever brought me coffee. Thank you.”

“It’s an apology,” I say gruffly. “For forgetting about lunch yesterday and for not celebrating your first day. I’m sorry. I’ve got quite a few bad habits to break. Being a workaholic is one of them. But I have great news. The pass is closed for the winter.”

Her shoulders slump with relief. “That is good news. Thank you. And don’t worry about lunch. I usually skip it, so it’s fine.”

I have a feeling she usually skipped it because she didn’t have enough money or food. Those days are gone. “Lunch will be delivered at noon today,” I coolly inform her. We exit the elevator, and I motion to my SUV. “My vehicle’s got all wheel drive.”

She bites her lip, hesitating for a minute, but I continue walking. Opening the passenger door, I look at her and dangle my final carrot. “Heater is already going.”

Lifting her chin, she walks over and gets in. I shut the door, inexplicably happy about her riding to work with me, as I plan to make this a regular thing. I want her in every facet of my life.

Susan wasn’t keen on the idea of Charli working in my office. Warned me that if anything happened and Charli filed a harassment complaint, Susan would take her side and nail my ass to the wall. She wouldn’t be concerned if she knew we were mates, but until Charli accepts the bond, I don’t want anyone outside of our family to know.

She sets her stuff down on her desk, then leaves for the staff meeting I put on her calendar early this morning. I want everyone to know who she is and her role in this office. Once they realize she’s my PA, they’ll start going to her when they need something, which will boost her confidence. Charli’s smart, and I can already tell by how quickly she’s picked up everything, she’ll be moving on to bigger challenges within the year.

Diving into my own project, I lose myself in the schematics, tweaking the interface until I’m satisfied it will deliver a better user experience. Vanilla tickles my nose, and I raise my head to find Charli standing in front of my desk, her pink lips curved in a delectable smile.

“Sam had to move the development meeting,” she informs me. “She sent a calendar update. It starts in three minutes.”

I stand and stretch, watching her skim my body. Pink crawls from her neck to her cheeks, telling me she’s not as immune to me as she might think.